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Talk6 min

Why avalanches are most deadly when they stop

Simon Trautman · TED

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About

Avalanches are the rapid descent of snow, ice, rock, or a combination of these down a slope. They can be destructive natural disasters and personal tragedies: killing an average of 27 people annually in the US. These alpine nightmares don’t just awaken out of nowhere; they need three specific conditions. So, what causes an avalanche? And is there any way to survive? Simon Trautman investigates. [Directed by Denys Spolitak, narrated by Bethany Cutmore-Scott, music by Stephen LaRosa, Wonder Boy Audio].

The talk

  1. Why avalanches are most deadly when they stop 6 min · TED's player

Credits and licence

Institution
TED
Department
TED-Ed
Speaker
Simon Trautman
Year
2026
Level
For everyone
Language
English
Subjects
Teaching and learning
Source
TED
Licence
CC BY-NC-ND 4.0, as TED states it. Non-commercial use only, and no changed versions. TED's terms
Attribution
TED Talks are licensed by TED under Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 4.0 International and are shown here in TED's own player, as TED's usage policy asks.
Who can watch
TED gives no rating. Invisible Network shows it to Teens profiles and older, judged from what the source says about it. How courses are placed